Ontario Trails Council Trail Trends

A Conservation Ontario DiscussionOctober 29, 2008

Purpose• To provide members of Conservation

Ontario with information on:• Trail Trends• Current Uses• Best Practices• Trail Insurance Option• Access to relevant information

Trails Website• Functions as a database• Regions, Activities, Cities, Global data• Currently represents over 1,300 individual trails• 28,000+ km of non-OFSC trails• #1 on Google = www.ontariotrails.on.ca• Characteristics, GPS, contact information, trailheads

Trails Website• Using 1,000 trails gathered to July 1, 2008 as a

baseline• Tracking 16 uses• So tracking a largely multi-use trail system• <12% are single use – canoe, hiking and walking• This results in 2719 distinct trails by use

Performance Site• Average 102 events listed on at any time• Add your own trail, event, video• Trail Smart• Hike Smart, ATV Smart, Ride Smart, etc.• Video• Training illustrations• Trailhead and maps

Trails Hiking 92.0% Snowmobiling 3.6%

Snowshoe 36.9% Motorcycling 1.8%

Canoe 24.5% Rock Climbing 1.5%

Cycling Off-road 21.7% ATV 1.4%

X-country 21.1% Dog Sledding 1.1%

Camping 20.5% Ice Climbing 0.4%

Running 20.1% Downhill Ski 0.3%

Cycling 19.9% 4X4 0.1%

Equestrian 5.0%

Trails by Land Manager

Conservation

Provincial Park

Municipal

VolunteerCrown Land Federal

102 278 314 278 23

•# per 1000 trails as at July 1, 1008

Regional RepresentationSouth Western Ontario # % of Provincial total use opportunity % of Trails reported

Hiking 111 12.07% 11.1%

Snowshoe 60 16.26% 6.0%

Canoe 19 7.76% 1.9%

Cycling Off-road 23 10.60% 2.3%

X-country 34 16.11% 3.4%

Camping 18 8.78% 1.8%

Running 31 15.42% 3.1%

Cycling 29 14.57% 2.9%

Equestrian 5 10.00% 0.5%

Other uses 6Snowmobiling, ATV, Motorcycling, 4x4, Ice Climb,

Rock Climbing, Downhill Ski, Dog Sled 0.6%

Future Analysis• % in north versus south, % urban versus rural• concentrations• % new versus old• % easy, moderate, difficult or extreme• % of heritage, tourism or health value• % permitted or free use• Land use allowances

Ontario Trails Market Growth• Inventory• Destinations (Regions and Trails)• Experiences• Packages• People• Social Networking Tools

Ontario Trail Products• Activity Promotion• Pass/Permits – revenue generation• Backcountry - representation• Urban - planning

Ontario Trail Services• To contribute to the long term financial

sustainability of Ontario’s trail infrastructure • To support

Trail Development and Management Organization (TDMO) initiatives in developing, maintaining and managing Ontario’s trails.

Purpose• Portfolio of 5 that respond to identified TDMO

needs• To benefit TDMOs • Voluntary

– open to not-for-profit, non-commercial TDMOs– Participate in one or all, some years or every year

• OTC membership

TDMO• Organizations legally mandated and responsible for

the development and/or management of trail• Evaluative – accredited process developed through

the Ontario Trails Council Safe Trails Manual• Acceptance as a TDMO dependant on completion

of all manual components

TDMO Types• Blue – TDMOs developing/ maintaining water (and

land used for portage) trails• Green – TDMOs developing/maintaining land-

based trails free of mandatory trail use fees • Gold – TDMOs developing/maintaining land-based

trails requiring a mandatory user fee.

Retail Prices for User Pay• TDMO Authorized Trail Use

» Year WeekDay

• All Terrain Vehicle $140.00 $ 75.00 $20.00

• Horseback Riding $ 75.00 $ 25.00 $ 7.50• Dog Sledding $ 75.00 $ 25.00 $ 7.50• Bicycle $ 50.00 $ 20.00 $ 5.00• Nordic Skiing $ 35.00 $ 15.00 $ 3.50• Other Uses Locally determined, no reciprocity

Self Revenue Progress• The majority (~70%) of revenue stays with the Selling TDMO for

immediate trail development and maintenance support. • A minor portion (~10%) of revenue will be applied to a Revenue Sharing

Fund which participant TDMOs can access based on need.• A minor portion (~10%) of revenue will be applied to Gold Programs and

Services which can be accessed by all participant organizations. • A minor portion (~10%) of revenue will be applied to Individual Use

Segment Programs and Services which can be accessed by individual use types only through provincial associations.

Budget • Draft Budget for TTN-gold year 1 • Based on 5000 permit sales = $949,208• TDMO $664,520• Gold Program & Services $ 94,920• TDMO Revenue Sharing $ 94,920• TDMO Programs and Services $ 94,920• *OTC is working to match $ for $ to further assist

TDMO with development and maintenance

Insurance and Revenue• Click to Pdf profile• Revenue offsets costs of operation• Relative Cost• Irony #1 – doesn’t affect all but those it affects it

affects very badly• Portfolio of interventions – includes tort reform,

self-insured retention, excess insurance, user-pay, increase taxes.